18th EU-Ukraine Summit takes place in Brussels: successful reforms and a strong partnership on the agenda
On 24 November, the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker will, alongside the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, represent the European Union at the 18th EU-Ukraine Summit. Ukraine will be represented by President Petro Poroshenko. The three presidents will be joined by European Parliament President, Martin Schulz, for the leaders’ meeting preceding the Summit, while the High Representative/Vice-President, Federica Mogherini as well as Commission Vice-Presidents Maroš Šefčovič and Valdis Dombrovskis, and Commissioners Johannes Hahn and Cecilia Malmström will participate in the plenary working lunch. The Summit will provide an opportunity to reaffirm the strong partnership between the European Union and Ukraine, and to discuss progress on the Ukrainian reform agenda. The European Union has been steadfast in its commitment to supporting the comprehensive reform efforts of the Ukrainian authorities. The level and depth of this support is unprecedented in the EU’s relations with a third country, as reflected in the report of the first 18 months of the Commission’s Support Group for Ukraine (report here, press release here, factsheet here). Such reforms are enabling the full benefits of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement (parts of which are provisionally applied since 1 November 2014), including its Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (in provisional application since 1 January 2016), to be felt by both EU and Ukrainian citizens. At the Summit, a number of agreements are expected to be signed in the field of energy, on anti-corruption and on cooperation with Europol, and further EU support to the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission. In addition, programmes to support public administration reform and the rule of law are expected to be announced. The leaders will also discuss security and conflict-related aspects, including implementation of the Minsk agreements, and the EU will reiterate its support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as its non-recognition policy regarding the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol, including through restrictive measures.
